CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Eating & Drinking in 2016
#2 GUILT-FREE FOOD
“Making food ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is a trend – and it’s a trend
I don’t like. I’ve seen so many books in the past six
months that have the words ‘guilt-free’ in the title.”
Karen Barnes, editor of Delicious

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Eating & Drinking in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#3 NUTRITIONAL NUDGES
“In 2016, people are going to embrace the idea that they
can become ‘slim by design’. They’ll replace the cookie
dish with a fruit bowl.”
Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Health & Beauty in 2016
#4 BEAUTIFULLY AGED
“The beauty industry is just waking up to the fact that
they don’t market well to older people. People aren’t
looking for a cure; ageing isn’t a disease.”
Tracey McAlpine, founder and editor of Fighting Fifty

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Health & Beauty in 2016
#5 LIFESTYLE FIT
“There’s going to be a lot more focus on lifestyle fits in
2016. People want something that fits into their purse
and makes them mobile.”
Julie Fredrickson, founder of Stowaway

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Leisure in 2016
#7 EXTREME STAYS
“People are looking for unique accommodation, like
sleeping in a train. People want a story to share on social
media, even if they’re only going on a short trip.”
Goof Lukken, founder of Vrijetijdskennis

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Leisure in 2016
#8 UPCYCLED LIFESTYLE
“Customising your home is a part of modern living.
There’s a crossover between crafting and DIY; knitting
and painting are all incorporated into our homes.”
Julie Bonnar, editor of Craft Focus

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Leisure in 2016
#2#9 VIRTUAL PASTIMES
PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
“VR is going to allow you to have the most crazy
experiences. Why would you buy your kids a Scalextric
track when they can drive a Formula 1 car?”
Henry Stuart, co-founder and CEO of Visualise

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Technology in 2016
#11 IDENTITY MARKERS
“Technology is an established part of life and the way we
express our identities. Above functionality, it’s about how
it makes you feel, how it makes other people see you.”
Matt Hussey, editor-in-chief of The Next Web

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Technology in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#12 THE NON-SHIFT
“When people use a mobile, they don’t think of it as
futuristic – it seamlessly integrates into their life. But a
smart watch doesn’t provide any indispensable service.”
Daniel Booth, editor of Web User and Computeractive

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Media & Entertainment in 2016
#13 DREAMS OF STREAMING
“We’re going to start to see some clarity around the
streaming situation. There’s no doubt that streaming is
the present and future of the music industry.”
Zack O’Malley Greenburg, senior editor at Forbes

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Media & Entertainment in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#15 TELLY ADDICTS
“Networks are more open to the fact that the more
places they give people access to content, the higher
the ratings will go.”
Alan Wolk, TV industry futurist and analyst

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Communications in 2016
#16 SOCIALLY DIVERSE
“The macro shift will be in messaging. Messaging apps
are bigger than social networks at this point – private
apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.”
Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Communications in 2016
#17 CUSTOMER FIRST
“Brands have come to understand that if they want an
audience to step away from what they’re doing and
interact with a message, it needs to be fun.”
Tamsin Fox-Davies, senior development manager at Constant Contact

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Communications in 2016
#2 #18 PERSONAL SPACE
PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
“There’s a psychological shift between the TV on your
wall and your phone in terms of personal space. Brands
need to create value and be invited in.”
Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Luxury in 2016
#20 FINE LIVING
“There are a growing number of wealthy people who
aren’t that interested in luxury products, people who just
don’t wear a watch or own a top brand car.”
Alex Cheatle, founder and CEO of Ten Group

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Luxury in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#21 SEXY SUSTAINABILITY
“Ten years ago, ‘ethical’ was hemp and yoghurt, but
today it’s very much for the luxury market. People want
to know the provenance of the products they buy.”
Emma Hart, creative director at PUSH PR

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Shopping in 2016
#22 SPEND ANYWHERE
“People are obsessed with their phones; 24% of
Americans have admitted to making a purchase on the
toilet and 2% have even done it at a funeral.”
James Dion, retail consultant and founder of Dionco Inc.

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Shopping in 2016
#23 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
“Look out for Nike’s 45 Grand gym. It’s a great example
of building customer advocacy – a retail space also used
for leisure and entertainment.”
Paul West, strategy director at Dalziel & Pow

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Money in 2016
#25 CONTEXTUAL WALLETS
“In 2016, mobile wallets will mature into contextual
services incorporating advice, sales and marketing at
point of sale – as long as it’s consensual.”
Chris Skinner, chairman of the The Financial Services Club

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Money in 2016
#26 ZERO EFFORT
“As people try services like Apple Pay, Venmo or Zopa –
seeing how little effort is required – they will demand it
from their banks.”
Jonathan McMillan (pseudonym), author of The End of Banking

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Home in 2016
#28 URBAN RETIREES
“The chronic housing problem could be overcome if
retirees free up family homes, so housing providers will
tempt them with new, high-end designs for the elderly.”
Alex Ely, founder of architecture practice Mæ

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Home in 2016
#29 UNCERTAIN TIMES
“The increases in re-marriage or marrying later in life
create a dynamic where family rules, boundaries and
relationships are unclear.”
Philip N. Cohen, sociologist and demographer

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Home in 2016
#2#30 HOME COMFORTS
PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
“In 2016, the home is going to be about comfort, not size,
especially as homeowners become more attuned to
provenance and materials.”
Emma J. Page, commissioning editor at 25 Beautiful Homes

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Getting Around in 2016
#31 HANDS FREE
“Will high adoption rates of autonomous vehicles make
our cities worse or better? If they are privately owned,
we may just have autonomous traffic jams.”
Dr. Ryan Chin, managing director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Getting Around in 2016
#32 SHARING THE ROAD
“We’re seeing less focus on car ownership because cities
can’t cope with the traffic and consumers are put off by
the costs.”
Michael Kodransky, global research manager at the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Getting Around in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#33 DATA DRIVEN
“Crowdsourcing travel data is part of a bigger trend of
decentralising information providers and the shift to a
bottom-up approach to services.”
Dr. Oded Cats, assistant professor in Transport and Planning at Delft University of Technology

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Citizenship in 2016
#34 CIVIC SENSIBILITIES
“There’s going to be a greater sense of debate over how
much people’s locality matters to them and how well
these localities are served.”
Andy Thornton, CEO of the Citizenship Foundation

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Citizenship in 2016
#35 MASS PARTICIPATION
“ In 2016 we will see more applications, hardware, and
technological innovations related to citizen involvement
in the city.”
Tomas Diez, urbanist and co-founder of Smart Citizen

CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Citizenship in 2016
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
#36 OUTSIDE INFLUENCE
“Crowdfunding sites – Kickstarter, Just Giving or Kiva –
are essentially fundraising platforms. The potential of the
use of these sites in this sector is exciting.”
Jonathan Simmons, chief experience oﬃcer at pro-social digital agency Zone